Selfridges targets 'circular' sales for almost half its goods

UK department store Selfridges said Friday that it wants almost half of its sales to be products given a new lease of life as part of the upmarket retailer's efforts to improve sustainability.

Selfridges' goal is for 45 percent of transactions to be for so-called "circular" goods and services -- either second-hand, rented, repaired or recycled -- by 2030, it said in a statement.

The "Reselfridges" initiative will form the "backbone" of its future business, the retailer added.

The world-famous chain, with its flagship branch on London's Oxford Street, said the move was part of a scheme to help it reach zero-carbon by 2040.

The scheme, for Selfridges' four physical branches as well as its website, is part of the group's broader "Project Earth" policy launched three years ago to improve sustainability.

"Our vision is to reinvent retail and create a more sustainable future, and Project Earth and our new targets underpin this," said managing director Andrew Keith.

It comes as the global fashion and luxury goods sectors face growing criticism over their increasingly harmful impact on the environment.

The advent of ultra-fast online fashion retailers, which encourage throwaway wasteful fashion items, has brought this into sharp focus in recent years.

Selfridges has for some time been seeking to promote environment-friendly fashion, for example with a rental service for second-hand clothing.

The group's key UK department store rival, John Lewis, is also aiming to develop the second-hand goods market.

John Lewis wants to roll out a so-called "buy back" or trade-in scheme for all product categories by 2025, as it also looks to hook up to the circular economy.

Selfridges added Friday that it would also extend its promise to stock only products that meet strict environmental and ethical standards to 2030.

The store chain was sold by Canada's Weston family late last year to Thai retail giant Central Group and Austrian property firm Signa for 4 billion pounds.

Related Links
Space Technology News - Applications and Research

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

Digging through patents to make mining greener
Fukuoka, Japan (SPX) Sep 01, 2022
As the world confronts the ongoing climate crisis, moving to greener technology has become a requirement in every facet of our lives. Naturally, industries critical to our daily lives are also moving to integrate such technology into their operations. All of these depend in some way on the industry that extracts and processes the raw materials used to make most green technologies: the mining industry. But the economic and policy factors that drive the mining sector to become more sustainable remai ... read more